\n\n\n\tATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 06: Los Angeles pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) gets high-fives in the dugout during the NLDS game 3 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves on October 6th, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images\t\n\n
Yamamoto allowed only one run in the win, and got through seven innings on 98 pitches. On the season, Yamamoto has allowed zero or one run in 15 of his 29 starts.
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“Wow, what a performance,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters in Atlanta. “He just has a way to just make pitches, calm his heartbeat. And I think he made two mistakes all night — the first pitch to [Matt] Olson; Lane Thomas, that cutter that just didn’t get there. But outside of that he was awesome.”
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Yamamoto has started 10 times for the Dodgers in the postseason, plus one relief appearance. That’s 11 total appearances, and the Dodgers have won 10 times. Yamamoto himself is 8-1 in the postseason with a stingy 2.14 ERA. His last five postseason outings, dating back to last year’s NLCS, are wins.
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Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the only pitcher in MLB history to earn the win in 5 straight postseason appearances while not allowing more than 1 run or 1 walk in any of them.
“Everything I read about him was true, and everything they told us about him also was true,” Yankees star Mickey Mantle said of Koufax to the Associated Press. “What a pitcher!”
Koufax had three double-digit strikeout games in the World Series, with his other two a pair of games with exactly 10 strikeouts over a span of only four days in 1965, pitching shutouts in Games 5 and 7 to beat the Minnesota Twins.
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Prior to Yamamoto, the last Dodgers pitcher with 10 strikeouts in a postseason game was Game 4 of the 2025 NLCS, when Shohei Ohtani struck out 10 Brewers while also hitting three home runs en route to winning NLCS MVP.
Minor League Baseball: View of Hudson Valley Renegades players warming up in outfield before game vs Brooklyn Cyclones at Maimonides Park. Brooklyn, NY 5/18/2021 CREDIT: Erick W. Rasco (Photo by Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X163621 TK1)
First Half Record: 25-40 (6/6 South Atlantic League North)
Second Half Record: 32-34 (4/6 South Atlantic League North)
The 2025 season was a magical year for the Brooklyn Cyclones. The team dominated the first half of the South Atlantic League season, earning a playoff berth, and for first time since 2019, a championship trophy was hoisted over Coney Island.
The Brooklyn Cyclones team that Eduardo Núñez had in 2026 was a very different team than the squad Gilbert Gomez had in 2025, and it showed. A general sense of malaise permeated throughout the entire Mets minor league system, but no team was worse than the Brooklyn Cyclones, who went 25-40 in the first half and were the second-worse team in the South Atlantic League.
The team perked up a bit in the second half, going 4-0 in June, 10-13 in July, and 15-11 in August. At the beginning of September, Brooklyn found themselves six games behind in the standings, playing a seven-game series (a game from July was being resumed) against the first-place Frederick Keys. While an extreme long shot, a sweep of the series would have rocketed the Cyclones up in the standings, potentially into first place depending on how the rest of the South Atlantic League North did that week. Their final series of the 2026 season unfortunately did not go the way the team and its fans were hoping, as Brooklyn kicked things off by dropped both games of the series opening double-header to immediately have their playoff hopes dashed, and then lost it to fall a game below .500 not just in the second half, but on the season. With the series loss, Brooklyn ended both the first and second halves of their season below .500, the first time for them to do that since the South Atlantic League moved to a split-season format in 2022.
John Bay, whose father played football at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, was a three-sport all-state player at Shattuck High School in Shattuck, Oklahoma, but when he began his collegiate career at OSU, he quickly found out that he was a big fish in a small pond. Competing for playing time thanks to the havoc that COVID-19 played on the college baseball season and decisions that were later made to attempt to do right by the players who missed the season, Bay ended up redshirting in his freshman season in 2021. He played in the Appalachian League that summer and hit .229/.381/.473 in 51 games, leading the league with 10 home runs. That was enough to get him a little playing time in 2022, and the outfielder appeared in 26 games, accruing 34 at-bats and hitting .324/.415/.500.
That summer, he was recruited by former Cowboys assistant coach Roland Fanning, who left OSU for Austin Peay University after the season ended. Bay played for the Lakeshore Chinooks of the Northwoods League that summer and entered the transfer portal, transferring to Austin Peay. He missed roughly a month at the beginning of the season due to a hamate injury but ended up appearing in 26 games for the Governors, hitting .225/.343/.528 with 8 home runs. In 2024, his redshirt junior season, he had a breakout season, hitting .365/.471/.817 in 55 games with 24 home runs. He followed that up with a strong stint in the Cape Cod Baseball League, hitting .254/.393/.507 with 4 homers in 23 games for the Chatham Anglers, but the 2024 MLB Draft came and went without the 23-year-old Bay’s name being called.
Bay finished up his collegiate career in 2025 hitting .360/.507/.769 in 59 games with 22 more home runs, giving him a cumulative .338/.463/.732 batting line with OSU and Austin Peay with 42 doubles, 6 triples, 55 home runs, 24 stolen bases, 99 walks, and 166 strikeouts in 166 total games. Once again, the draft came and went and Bay did not hear his name. He had numerous independent league offers on the table, but no major league offers were extended until the Mets called; Bay agreed immediately.
The 24-year-old outfielder was assigned to the Low-A St. Lucie Mets and he hit the ground running, hitting .333/.464/.593 in his 17 games there, logging 3 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs, 4 stolen bases, and drawing 9 walks to 21 strikeouts. He was promoted to High-A Brooklyn at the end of the season and hit .103/.333/.207 in 10 games for the eventual South Atlantic League champions. A few weeks after the season ended, he was selected to replace the injured D’Andre Smith in the Arizona Fall League and went 1-10 in the 3 games he appeared in drawing two walks and striking out 5 times. He remained in Brooklyn to begin the 2026 season and continued showing his trademark power even in a ballpark that dampens offense, appearing in 77 games and hitting .232/.360/.458 with 16 doubles, 3 triples, 13 home runs, 18 stolen bases, and drawing 35 walks to 88 strikeouts. In late July, he was promoted to Double-A Binghamton and appeared in 39 more games for them, hitting 252/.363/.366 with 6 doubles, 3 home runs, 11 stolen bases, and 20 walks to 48 strikeouts.
The 6’1”, 220-pound Bay stands square at the plate, holding his hands high at the eyes, wrapping his bat behind his head angled at 2:30, almost perpendicular to the ground. He swings with a slight leg kick, and has a quick, long-levered stroke. He has above-average power when he can get extended and pull the ball in the air. He has enough barrel control and makes decent enough swing decisions that he is not a one-dimensional stomp-and-lift hitter and does use the rest of the field. While his swing-and-miss rate is high and his strikeout rate concerningly high, his overall contacts numbers have been about average, and he has shown the ability to draw a high number of walks.
Bay is athletic and is a solid defender. The majority of his playing time in the outfield has come in center, with a bit less time in right field and a bit less time still in left. The 25-year-old does not have an explosive first-step, but is speedy, reaching his running gait quickly. His arm is a bit stronger than what is expected of most centerfielders, but is fringe-average or so for right field.
A native of Havana, Cuba, Daviel Hurtado left the island nation and took up residency in the Dominican Republic in 2022. Having played on the U-12 and U-15 Cuban National Baseball Teams, the left-hander drummed up some interest but elected to wait to for the 2023-2024 international signing period to begin instead of signing with a club immediately in order to better showcase his talents and maximize his potential contract. On January 15 2023, when the signing period began, he came to terms with the Mets and was given a $640,000 signing bonus. He was assigned to the Dominican Summer League for the 2023 season, but did not actually pitch, as Tommy John surgery kept him off the mound all season.
After the healing and rehabbing process came to an end, he finally made his professional debut in May 2024 with the FCL Mets. He remained with them for the entire 2024 season and appeared in 8 games, all starts, posting a 6.32 ERA in 15.2 innings, with 15 hits allowed,10 walks, and 23 punch outs. The organization had him remain in the FCL when the 2025 season began but they quickly promoted him to Low-A St. Lucie after he began the year allowing just a single earned run in 19.0 innings, allowing 8 hits, walking 5, and striking out 25. With the St. Lucie Mets, he appeared in 13 games, making 7 starts, and posted a 2.70 ERA in 46.2 innings, allowing 45 hits, walking 19, and striking out 50.
The 21-year-old began the season with St. Lucie but was promoted to High-A Brooklyn after four starts. With the Cyclones, he appeared in 17 games and made 15 starts, posting a 2.69 ERA in 77.0 innings, allowing 52 hits, walking 26, and striking out 74. Altogether combined, the southpaw posted a 2.93 ERA on the season, allowing 62 hits, walking 27, and striking out 89 in 86.0 innings.
The 6’1”, 165-pound southpaw is well proportioned and lean. He throws from a high-three-quarter arm slot with loose, whippy arm that utilizes a long arm action through the back. He throws from the far first base side of the rubber, further amplifying the difficult angle that his pitches attack batters from. The southpaw has a repertoire that includes a four-seam fastball, curveball, slider, and changeup.
His fastball sits in the low-to-mid-90s, sitting in the low-90s and topping out comfortably at 95 MPH. The pitch has about 15 inches of induced vertical break and features above-average run thanks to its spin efficiency and the left-hander’s slingy delivery, so much so that it often gets characterized as a sinker. The pitch doesn’t really miss too many bats, nor do hitters have problems dealing with it and putting it in play with authority.
The southpaw’s curveball sits in the mid-70s-to-low-80s, featuring 55 inches of vertical drop and 5-10 inches of horizontal movement, making it a loopy, slurvy 11-5 bender. His slider sits in the mid-to-high-80s, featuring 35 inches of vertical drop and 3-5 inches of horizontal movement, giving the pitch hop. The two breaking balls tunnel well with each other, the slower curveball featuring more overall movement and the faster slider featuring less.
Infrequently, Hurtado throws a changeup. The left-hander has been more effective against right-handed batters than fellow lefties over the course of his career, but he has been effective enough against left-handed batters and as such has not really needed to develop a pitch to neutralize them.
While none of his pitches individual grade out as much better than average, with his fastball a decidedly below-average pitch, his total ability plays up thanks to his ability to tunnel his pitches and his ability to command everything pinpoint control. Hurtado is at his best when he is nipping the zone for strikes and then expanding it for strikeouts or weak contact with his breaking pitches. The southpaw was able to limit damage to an extreme degree in 2026, posting a 23.4% line drive rate, 54.6% groundball rate, and 22.0% flyball rate, with a 10.4% HR/FB rate. The Cuban left-hander does not have much of a resume, but his damage-prevention abilities might not simply be a product of Maimonides Park, as he a similarly favorable 23.5% line drive rate, 43.6% groundball rate, and 32.9% flyball rate with a 6.1% HR/FB rate in his 65.2 innings in the complex and St. Lucie in 2025.
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 29: Cade Cavalli #24 of the Washington Nationals pitches in the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Nationals Park on August 29, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Ever since Max Scherzer left the team at the trade deadline in 2021, Nationals fans have been waiting for an ace to emerge. For years, we were holding out hope that MacKenzie Gore would be that guy. He showed great things early in seasons but would inevitably fall apart. Once he was traded, it was on to the next guy in the hunt for an ace.
Heading into this season, our hopes hinged on Cade Cavalli, a 27 year old who had only made 11 career starts. Despite his inexperience, Cavalli was named the Opening Day starter due to his high potential. This season, Cavalli rewarded the team’s faith and emerged as a true front of the rotation arm.
Talent has never been the issue for Cavalli. He was drafted in the first round in 2020 out of Oklahoma due to his electric arm talent. Cavalli established himself as a top prospect and made his debut at the end of the 2022 season. However, that is where the trouble began.
During Spring Training of 2023, Cavalli had to undergo Tommy John Surgery. He missed all of that season and only threw 8.1 innings in 2024 due to a litany of setbacks. After struggling in AAA to begin 2025, Cavalli looked like damaged goods.
However, he ended his season on a positive note, making 10 solid starts in the big leagues. His 4.25 ERA and 1.48 WHIP was not anything special, but he was averaging 97 MPH with a nasty curveball. Even if the results were not there, you could see the vision.
During Spring Training, it became very clear that the new regime was tantalized by Cavalli’s potential. Blake Butera talked about how special he could be and he quickly was named the Opening Day starter.
It is easy to forget now, but for the first three months of the season, Cavalli was fine but not elite. After his June 25th start, Cavalli had a 4.00 ERA and was averaging under 5 innings per start. He was not having a bad season by any means, but he was far from elite.
The turning point came during his June 30th start against the Red Sox. Of course, that was the infamous ‘sit down boy’ game. In that contest, Cavalli struck out 13 hitters, allowed just 1 hit and got 25 whiffs. He looked like a dominant force at Fenway Park that night.
His role in starting that brawl put him in hot water, but the way Cavalli handled that was impressive. He seemed genuinely remorseful and handled the aftermath of that situation as well as he could have. It also did not stop him from going forward with his season.
In his last 15 starts of the season, Cavalli went 9-1 with a 2.08 ERA, striking out 111 hitters in 86.1 innings. He made the leap from solid big league starter to staff ace. As the season went on, you could just see that confidence growing each time he took the ball. Cavalli performed like an ace on the field, but also carried himself like one.
His nasty stuff and leadership were rewarded with an extension at the end of the season. The Nats and Cavalli agreed to a 4-year deal which has a club option for a 5th season. After all the injury set-backs Cavalli has faced, that had to be an awesome moment for him. It was also great to see the team lock up a rising star.
THIS ONE’S FOR D.C.
Cade Cavalli has agreed to a 4-year contract extension through the 2030 season with a club option for 2031. pic.twitter.com/mZiTaR92of
We have talked a lot about his story and rise to prominence, but now I want to dive into the data. For the season, Cavalli finished with a 3.02 ERA and an even 200 strikeouts in 169.2 innings of work.
His underlying numbers were also stellar, with a 3.25 FIP, a 3.67 xERA and a 3.13 xFIP. From a value perspective, Cavalli had 3.9 fWAR and 3.7 bWAR. The strikeout and walk numbers were also phenomenal. Cavalli struck out 28.3% of hitters while only walking batters at a 6.8% clip.
When you look at his pitch mix, Cavalli made a couple big changes. The first one was adding a sweeper to go with his already fantastic curveball. His sweeper gave Cavalli a new weapon, particularly against right handed hitters, who he struggled with in 2025. Cavalli’s sweeper is a hard one, averaging over 86 MPH. It also had much more drop than your average sweeper because he throws it similarly to his curve.
The hard sweeper is a pitch that has been really successful for big name starters this year, and Cavalli is part of that trend. Gavin Williams and Jesus Luzardo are a couple other high end arms with high velocity sweepers. Batters hit just .115 with a 37% whiff rate against the Cavalli sweeper.
One change that coincided with Cavalli’s quantum leap was an increase in cutter usage. The cutter was a pitch Cavalli had thrown in the past, but he did not use it much in the beginning of the season. However, he started throwing it more starting in that Red Sox start. He threw it about 12% of the time from July onwards.
The cutter on its own is nothing special, but it mixed well with his other pitches. It also gave him an offering he could consistently throw in the zone. With these new weapons, Cavalli had all the answers.
Those new weapons are cool to talk about, but another big part of his rise was an improvement in command. In the second half of the season, Cavalli walked less than 6% of hitters and was executing at an extremely high level. It felt like he could put pitches wherever he wanted.
When I watch the playoffs this year, I am confident that Cavalli can thrive in that environment. He has the stuff, command and moxy to succeed against the best hitters. We saw that in his biggest matchups this year. When the lights got bright, Cavalli was at his best.
With that extension, we now know that Cavalli will be a National long term. That is great news because he pitched like an ace down the stretch. If that is what he looks like moving forward, Cade Cavalli could challenge for Cy Young’s. It is so great to finally have a horse at the front of the rotation.
The Islanders drafted Dravecky, 18, in the fifth-round of the 2026 NHL Draft with the 141st overall pick.
The Czech defender's been off to a hot start with the Guelph Storm, posting one goal and four points in four games for the Storm. His skating is one area that already looks better than it did in his draft year.
Dravecky posted nine goals and 28 points in 58 games last season while with an elite Brampton Bulldogs team, as well as three assists in 11 playoff games.
He's also posted 7 points in 4 games with the Czech u20 team this year, building off his World Juniors appearances for the Czech junior team.
At the time of the draft, people felt the Islanders landed incredible value with his work ethic and potential upside.
Hamilton Hammers Head Coach Jay McKee, who coached against Dravecky last season, in that camp. Then, rookie camp started, and Dravecky blew the doors down. He excelled in all situations, and even had a strong showing with his one NHL preseason game.
"With Vlad being a late pick, for me, it was one of the steals of the draft for sure at that pick," McKee said during Rookie Camp.
McKee continued with effusive praise for the right-shot defenseman.
"Vlad is a very highly skilled, offensive-minded defenseman. Just saying, he's one of the best practice players I've ever coached or even played with," McKee said. "He's intense. He does everything with a purpose. Snaps his passes. He's got an active stick. He's a very, very talented player. You know, like all of them [the prospects]. There's areas of improvement, but his potential and his upside is very high."
The Islanders could use the depth in the prospect pool, especially for the right side of their defense.
The hope is that Dravecky, along with fellow 2026 draftee Lincoln Kuehne and Hamilton youngster Ryan Healey, can fill those gaps.
The Islanders have some time, but continued development is paramount for success. Kuehne will spend this year with Arizona State. Healey, meanwhile, gets his first taste of professional hockey.
Dravecky will spend this year in the OHL with the Guelph Storm and look to build on that incredible first impression next season.
Dravecky turns 19 in December, and its unclear what his developmental path will be following this season in the OHL.
CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 05: Travis Bazzana #37 of the the Cleveland Guardians warms up prior to Game Two of the American League Division Series presented by Booking.com between the Chicago White Sox and the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on Monday, October 5, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Grace Hoppel/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Cleveland Guardians’ season comes down to an afternoon tilt in Chicago. Here are some keys to pushing the series to Thursday:
Manage Emotions and Nerves with a Wildly Hostile, Home Crowd:
There is no doubt that the White Sox fans will be loud and desperate to see their team clinch their first playoff series at home since 1906 and complete an entire redemption of their late-season collapse to lose the AL Central. The literal Pope, ghosts of 2005, and probably even whoever is chosen to throw the first pitch will be present to haunt the current Guardians. This young team will have to shut all that out and focus on playing the best baseball game they can play. They can’t get caught up in thinking about being eliminated and the second-straight October humilation that would entail. They just need to play crisp, fundamental baseball, putting up professional at-bats as hitters and pitchers.
Score Early, Tack on Late:
Shadows will creep into play by about 5 or 5:30PM ET, so the Guardians need to find a way to score. They can’t afford to be shutout by opener Sean Newcomb and whoever comes after him and let it get to the 4th inning not having scored because the 4th-7th innings should be pretty difficult for hitters. By the 8th and 9th, the Guardians will probably see Grant Taylor and/or Hagen Smith AGAIN. They can’t afford to not get to one of these pitchers. They need to take advantage to tack on at least one more run when the shadows are gone and these familiar arms re-emerge.
Hit At Least One Home Run:
It’s very, very hard to win a postseason game without hitting at least one home run. (The White Sox just did it, though, haha. Haha.). So, who is going to hit the Guardians’ first postseason homer? Jo Adell, who should have had one Monday night? Chase DeLauter, Hit a Homer, Take Me Home (for Game 5), Country Roads? Jose Ramirez Back from the Dead? Playoff Rocchio? Patty Barrels? We need a hero, folks.
Have a Quick Hook with Pitchers:
I am very excited to have Daniel Espino start the game, but this needs to be an “all-hands on deck” game for Cleveland. Literally, every pitcher, including Gavin Williams, should be available as needed. I am sure the team has an ideal plan for who will pitch where, but Stephen Vogt needs to be quick to make moves based on swing data, handedness, and the game situation and not hesitate to use arms he hasn’t used yet. Throw the kitchen sink at the White Sox and snuff out rallies without worrying about tomorrow because tomorrow may never come.
Maintain an Overall, Good Approach from Game Two:
Aside from Angel Martinez, I think the Guardians executed a good approach, overall, in game two. They were disciplined to make pitchers work but also aggressive on pitches in the heart of the plate. They can’t afford to have, as I just mentioned, Martinez flailing at uncompetitive pitches. They also can’t afford to have Travis Bazzana, who put up some great at-bats as a whole, take a pitch down the heart of the plate for strike three after working the count full. Do not go up there with a 3-2, 3-1 or 3-0 count looking to take a walk. Look for a pitch you can do damage on and take advantage of it in those situations. The mix of discipline and aggression in game two was right… just gotta get some of those well-hit balls to find grass or the seats, and consistently force White Sox pitchers to get the ball in the zone.
I love this Guardians’ team. I hope today isn’t the last game I get to watch them this year, and I am confident they will do their best to avoid a sweep to a division rival. Let’s go, Guardians!
(Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
LeBron James decided to suit up for the 76ers this season, but that sure doesn’t mean he wants to live in Philadelphia. In fact, he’s going to extraordinary lengths to avoid being there any longer than necessary. News emerged this last week that LeBron has decided to live in New York for the 2026-27 season, commuting to Philly for games and practice. That sounds like a colossal pain on the surface, considering it’s roughly a two-hour trip from city-to-city — but don’t worry, King James isn’t driving, instead he’s taking multiple helicopter trips a week to cut his travel time down to 30 minutes.
This wasteful and frankly ridiculous travel scheme would be one thing if it were on LeBron’s dime, but news that the travel is being paid for by Fanatics raises major questions about how the NBA is allowing a benefit like this. It feels especially hypocritical less than a month after the league announced significant sanctions against the Los Angeles Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer for circumventing the salary cap with improper payments to Kawhi Leonard that exceeded his salary.
LeBron is making the NBA veteran minimum of $3.87M this season — but these arranged helicopter flights are so numerous and prolific that they might as well be baked into his deal. It was reported on Tuesday that James has taken as many as 12 trips via helicopter in a single week, and while it’s difficult to estimate the value of those flights taken on a privately owned helicopter, the service Blade, which is basically Uber for people who want to ride by helicopter, has a listed price of $4,645 one-way for trips from New York City to Philadelphia. This means LeBron would have racked up over $55,000 on trips alone in one week, and if we estimate he will be taking six trips per week during the regular season (and this still might be on the low side), then his benefit from these flights is tantamount to $668,000.
It’s a far cry from the $28M that Kawhi Leonard was paid under the table by sponsors of the Clippers, but it still rolls up to raise questions about how the NBA will deal, not just with direct payments, but questionable benefits that come from signing specific NBA contracts.
Fanatics is throwing up their hands and pleading ignorance, saying that LeBron has “access to corporate aviation,” as part of the endorsement deal he signed with the company in 2024. Most reasonably people would agree that there’s a fundamental difference between chartering a private jet to attend an event as part of an endorsement deal and taking 12 helicopter trips a week to facilitate NBA practices.
The water is made even muddier by the fact that Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin was a former partner of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, owner of the 76ers. While Rubin sold his shares in the company in 2022, he remains extremely close to the 76ers organization. There are no fewer than 50 published photos of Rubin either sitting courtside at Sixers games or in the tunnel with players, all of which were taken after he sold his stake in the team.
Would these flight benefits be extended to LeBron if he signed with the Cavaliers? It’s clear Rubin is not simply a former owner of the Sixers, but a dedicated superfan who attends as many high-profile games as possible, maintaining a close personal relationship with the organization.
It’s not like LeBron couldn’t easily afford the trips with his own money. The charter flight fees are a drop in the bucket for a man who has earned over $575M from basketball alone, and is worth well over $1B when factoring in his endorsement deals. The question is more about how the NBA plans to enforce (or ignore) contracts, in an era where seemingly everyone is finding creative ways to circumvent the cap with extra kickers on deals. It also comes at a time when it’s fair to have scrutiny of any player movement decision when numerous players have deals with predictive marketing (gambling) companies. Giannis Antetokounmpo raised eyebrows by announcing his ownership stake in Kalshi shortly after he wasn’t traded during the 2025-26 NBA Trade Deadline, while it was reported that LeBron James has an agreement with Polymarket, which will pay him more this season than his NBA salary.
LeBron made massive waves when he spurned his long-term agreement with Upper Deck to sign an endorsement deal with Michael Rubin and Fanatics in early 2024. Two years later he signed with the team Rubin has direct ties to, and now he’s getting benefits from this side deal that enable a travel schedule no other team could match. It might not be against the NBA CBA to have agreements like this, but the whole situation feels extremely icky.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 5: Bruce Brown #1 of the New York Knicks shoots the ball during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 5, 2026 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
As we patiently wait for the Knicks to host the Wiz Kiz on Thursday…
…here are the latest quotables from around Tarrytown and elsewhere.
"I think that the safest play is Drew Eubanks" – Ian on the Knicks' final roster spot
On the Knicks’ lack of physicality against Philadelphia:
“What bothers me is our lack of physicality throughout the ball game, and that’s the whole roster up and down. We weren’t great on the ball physically and we weren’t great with our defensive positioning physically.
“The rest of the [issues are] coach talk. It’s real, but it’s coach talk that we’ll clean up watching film and all that stuff. I can’t help with the physicality. That they’ve gotta find individually, which will then turn into collectively, and that’s how you find minutes. That’s how you make the team. That’s how you contribute in a way where some of those other mistakes can be ‘OK, we’ll get better in that area and we’ll get better in this area.’
“But the physicality, we have to do a better job of that from top to bottom.”
On the Knicks making the game easy for the 76ers:
“They got to wherever they wanted to when it comes to getting to their spots and getting good shots. We didn’t contest, we didn’t rear-view challenge and we made the game easy for them. We just turned and took a step to the rim and they came right over our back and got the offensive rebound, so that I’m concerned about and I don’t want to see happen.”
On the Knicks’ poor 3-point shot selection:
“I don’t care if we go 0 for 40. We took 41 and 33 of those [threes] weren’t sprays. And that’s not how we play.”
Jalen Brunson
On the importance of the Knicks’ preseason opener:
“[I put] a good amount [of stock in this preseason game]. Obviously being results-based is not necessarily a focus, but it’s like process-driven and making sure the details are there and doing all the right things. I think those are the things you need to be concerned about, results-based not so much. Obviously we want to win but make sure the process is right.”
Exclusive: Bruce Brown “very surprised” to be fighting a different kind of second apron battle https://t.co/Y8fuMU1n0P
On the second apron being used as an excuse by teams when navigating freeagency:
“I heard that all summer.”
On being surprised by his diminished free-agent market:
“I was very surprised. I played every single game last year, played meaningful minutes the whole year. Thought I did decently or good enough in my role that I was given. But when free agency started, that wasn’t the case.”
On proving himself while competing for a Knicks roster spot:
“You got to prove yourself every year. I’ve been on eight teams in nine years. Every year you got to prove yourself, prove you’ve gotten better. But with this team obviously the first and second units are pretty set, I’d say. So obviously I’d have to provide a winning attitude. I’m fighting for a job right now. So any role they give me, I’d be happy to do it.”
On returning to New York after previously playing for the Nets during the KD era:
“I love New York. Obviously playing in Brooklyn, they’re little brother to the Knicks even if, at the time, they weren’t that good and we were really good. New York’s always a place I loved, loved winning, loved being around. When I got the call, I was like, ‘Yeah, for sure.’ ”
On wanting to play for a contender:
“As you know, at this point in my career, only contending teams look for me. So I’m just trying to compete for a championship. Go back to back and help them win again.”
On fighting for a guaranteed roster spot:
“It is what it is right now. I thought I played well enough last year to be in the running for a guaranteed job. But now I just got to show my work throughout the summer and my veteran leadership somehow.”
Stephen A. Smith
On seeing the 76ers as a threat to the Knicks:
“The Sixers can make a title run. The Sixers are the team to watch out for if you’re the New York Knicks. To me, it’s clearly about the Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers.”
On James Dolan and the lack of extensions for Leon Rose and William Wesley:
“Let me put everybody in New York on blast. That damn James Dolan is getting in the way again. We have some concerns. First of all, I don’t know if it’s news or not. Where the hell is the extension for Leon Rose? Where the hell is the extension for Worldwide Wes, William Wesley? Worldwide Wes and Leon Rose ended a 53-year drought and brought a championship to New York. Where’s their extension? Where is it? That’s number one.”
On the Knicks’ current contract offer to Karl-Anthony Towns:
“Number two, I’m not going to tell you that Karl-Anthony Towns deserves the max. I understand that you got Brunson and Anunoby coming down the pike, but you don’t disrespect that man by cutting him short by $77 million. You don’t do that. You give him a respectable offer.”
“You give him an offer that says, ‘Okay, listen. We need you to take this hit. Jalen Brunson took this hit. We need you to do it, too.’ So, it ain’t $277 million. It might be $225-$227 million, something along those lines because Brunson took a hit, too.”
“You might not like it, but it’s not disrespectful. You’re saying, ‘Listen, I got the cats that you want to keep with you. I’m going to have to touch that second apron. I’m going to have to take care of your other cats.’”
On the Knicks needing to take care of Jalen Brunson first:
“And we know you got to, to use his term, Big Body Brunson. We got to take care of him. That’s what we can’t go to Brunson and ask him to take another cut. The man delivered the chip, and he was the superstar that did it. Okay, he is the franchise. There will be a statue erected outside of Madison Square Garden for that man one day. He erased a 53-year drought.”
“Okay, we got to take care of Brunson. So, we might need y’all to take some hits, but you don’t disrespect him.”
On the Knicks’ history and Towns’ value to the championship team:
“For 53 years, the New York Knicks didn’t do anything but pass gas and try to tell us it was perfume. That’s what they did. They stunk up the joint year after year after year, and they finally won the chip.”
“Karl-Anthony Towns has everything to do with that. I’m not telling you that he ain’t worth—first of all, he’s worth the $277 million in today’s NBA economy. It’s just that, in light of other people you have to take care of, it’s going to call for some level of sacrifice.”
“But you don’t disrespect him. Karl-Anthony Towns deserves more money, and most importantly, he deserves to be respected and appreciated. And I’mma tell you why: New York has a problem.”
On his concerns about James Dolan after the Knicks’ championship:
“They got a problem because that same damn James Dolan that stunk up the joint for years running the New York Knicks franchise finally, after 27 years at the helm, won a chip.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me at all if his mentality is, ‘All right, I delivered a chip. So now we can wait another quarter century before we win it again.’ He’s the kind of person that’ll have that kind of attitude and take that for granted.”
On what he sees as a broader problem with Knicks ownership:
“I’m speaking to a bigger problem. I’m speaking to a level of arrogance and dismissiveness on the part of the ownership that’s focused on the fact that he’s a champion now and not really reflecting on the years of ineptitude that he exercised running this franchise.”
“And if Karl-Anthony Towns isn’t taken care of, it sends the wrong message: ‘we don’t necessarily take care of our own.’ You see what I’m saying? And that’s where it’ll lead to you not winning for the next quarter-century and beyond when you ignore your own.”
“Even when the Lakers struggled, the Buss family always took care of the people who took care of them. That is what James Dolan has to remember.
“Leon Rose deserves his money. Worldwide Wes deserves his money. Brunson and Anunoby deserve their money. Karl-Anthony Towns deserves the money. They clearly made money for James Dolan this past season. Yeah, they made money for him. Let’s be clear.”
Sabonis’ shoe FELL OFF trying to guard Luka. He knocked down a 3 and pointed at his shoe 😭 pic.twitter.com/ah9FpBkW0H
Still hoping for that bounce-back, Eric. | Michael Turner / MLB Photos via Getty Images
In reviewing Arizona Fall League rosters for the original draft of this article, Twinkie Town writer Matt Monitto was stunned into silence by what he saw.
“I’m scrolling through the rosters on MLB.com, and I come across Frank Mozzicato, Tate Southisene, and I have to sit back,“ Monitto said in an interview with a mirror. ”These are guys I came across in Out of the Park franchises, and I thought they were computer-generated names. But they’re real?“
Indeed, Royals prospect Mozzicato and Braves prospect Southisene are among those assigned to the AFL by their parent clubs.
“I’m pretty sure I’ve had Mozzicato on one of my teams,“ Monitto added, ”when I did a Royals franchise a few years ago. That just makes it odder.“
When reminded that such oddity did not stop him for rooting for the eventually-demoted Eric Orze in 2026, he simply shook his head.
“I guess there, I had him as a Twin for a good number of seasons, and then he became a Twin. I’m still pulling for him.
“But when it’s other teams,” he continued, “it’s always strange. It’s cool to see Jake McCarthy breaking out for the Rockies, yet it’s a bit weird because he was my Diamondbacks left fielder for a while. And guys like Yohendrick Pinango and Yanquiel Fernandez… I thought for sure the game made up those names. A few years later, they’re in the Show.”
Monitto did not know if the same concept applies to players of MLB The Show as he has not played that game.
“But if so,” he said, “I bet there’s just as much awe… after blinking to make sure the names and players are actually real, of course.”
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - SEPTEMBER 27: Manager Skip Schumaker #55 of the Texas Rangers reacts to a 6-4 loss against the Minnesota Twins after the game at Target Field on September 27, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Morning, all!
Evan Grant wonders how the Rangers can stop being so mediocre, and settles on either spending money or getting young, bringing in the fences at Globe Life, and translating young talent into productive big league talent.
Saturday, Oct. 3 – PENGUINS 2 vs. Springfield 3 (OT) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton opened its 2026-27 season in front of an excited, passionate crowd in Northeast PA. However, Springfield scored payback after being eliminated by the Penguins in last year’s playoffs. Atley Calvert scored both of the Penguins’ goals, including a shorthanded tally midway through the second period. The Thunderbirds won 1:50 into overtime.
Sunday, Oct. 4 – PENGUINS 2 vs. Hartford 3 The Penguins seized an early lead a mere 86 seconds into the contest when D-man Jake Livanavage notched his first AHL goal. The Wolf Pack flipped the game in the middle frame, scored twice to take a 2-1 lead. Hartford ran its lead to 3-1 late with its second man-advantage marker of the day, but Avery Hayes quickly buried an extra-attacker goal to pull the Pens within one.
The Pens used 11 forward + seven defensemen lineups in both games. Ideally from the AHL perspective the crowded house in Pittsburgh with a couple forwards on IR will eventually lead to a quality player at this level dropping down, like David Gustafsson did in time for the second game lineup here.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) October 4, 2026
Overall on the week there weren’t a lot of standouts with the team scoring four total goals and losing both games, though it wasn’t for a lack of trying with the team piling up 85 shots over the two games. Atley Calvert continues to impress, he scored a pair of those goals. The goalies posted identical stat lines over the two games, with both Joel Blomqvist and Taylor Gauthier stopping 20 shots on 23 attempts for an .870 save percentage. Blomqvist picked up the overtime loss, Gauthier fell in regulation.
The slow start continues this weekend, WBS plays only two games in the upcoming week with Saturday and Sunday matchups scheduled on the road for a tour of New England. The Penguins will be in Hartford on Saturday night then turnaround quickly for a Sunday afternoon game in Providence.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 20: Starting pitcher Jack Perkins #50 of the Athletics signals for a review during the fourth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on September 20, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Happy Wednesday everyone.
Last night, the National League (NL) Division Series continued with two Game 3s. The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Atlanta Braves 3-1 to take a 2-1 lead in the series, while the San Diego Padres staved off elimination with a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
This afternoon, there is a full slate of playoff action. In the American League, the Chicago White Sox will attempt to sweep the Cleveland Guardians, while the New York Yankees will look to prolong their season as they welcome the Tampa Bay Rays to the Bronx.
On the other side of the bracket, the Dodgers and Braves will play Game 4 in Atlanta, with the Braves hoping to force a decisive fifth game. Across the country, the Padres will look to win a second consecutive game in front of their home fans and send the series back to Milwaukee for a winner-take-all Game 5.
With the Athletics not in the playoffs, the organization’s focus has turned to its first true search for a new general manager in nearly three decades. Aside from a few rumored candidates, there has not been much buzz about who will succeed longtime executive David Forst, a role the team hopes to fill by the start of the World Series.
While most A’s players are spending these days resting and preparing for next season, a handful of the team’s minor leaguers are playing in the Arizona Fall League (AFL), an annual showcase for some of baseball’s top prospects. Many youngsters use the opportunity to expand their skillsets or get crucial at-bats or innings they missed this season because of injuries.
Among the A’s contingent, catching prospects Davis Diaz and Cole Conn are two players to keep an eye on. Both versatile players advanced to Triple-A this season and could compete for the major league backup catcher spot next season.
Of the pitchers, only right-hander Kenya Huggins is currently ranked on MLB Pipeline’s list of the A’s top 30 prospects. Right-hander Jay Dill and left-handers Tucker Novotny and Grant Richardson could crack the list if they pitch well in the AFL.
Which A’s minor leaguer will perform the best in the AFL? What are your predictions for how the rest of the playoffs will unfold?
This thread breaks down how the A’s can make right-hander Jack Perkins more reliable.
🧵 Jack Perkins’ path to becoming a reliable Major League pitcher in 2027 may not be through the rotation.
Perkins has shown flashes of legitimate MLB stuff, but consistency and durability remain questions. A move to the bullpen could allow the A’s to maximize his stuff while…
What steps can the A’s take this offseason to improve their pitching staff and defense for 2027?
The A’s biggest issues this season
1. Pitching staff 2. Injuries 3. Defense
Offensive issues will be fixed with better injury luck. Pitching is expensive, and difficult to acquire. Better pitching development will take a few years to see results
— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) October 6, 2026
A’s in AFL update.
A’S IN THE AFL TODAY (10/6) C Davis Diaz: 1-3, 2B, BB, RBI LF Breyson Guedez: 0-4. HBP, R RHP Jay Dill: 2 IP/1 H/1 ER/1 BB/3 K RHP Kenya Huggins: 2 IP/2 H/1 R/0 ER/0 BB/1 K/Loss Mesa Solar Sox lose 4-3
— Bill Moriarity – A's Farm (@AthleticsFarm) October 7, 2026
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 06: Yoshinobu Yamamoto #18 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws a pitch during the third inning against the Atlanta Braves in game three of the National League Division Series at Truist Park on October 06, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Edward M. Pio Roda/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning everybody and happy Wednesday!
The Division Series continues across baseball, so let’s get you caught up on that and more.
Alex Cora told the Phillies he is not interested in managing in 2027. Philadelphia previously approached him about their opening mid-season but turned to Don Mattingly after Cora said no.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 06: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers shakes hands with Enrique Hernández #8 and Tommy Edman #25 after defeating the Atlanta Braves in game three of the National League Division Series at Truist Park on October 06, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers’ outlook wasn’t as dire as it might’ve looked after the Game 2 loss at home, just as it is not as ideal as it could appear following a Game 3 win on the road against the Braves’ ace. When it comes to their fate in this specific series, the Dodgers are well positioned to advance, but with the ultimate goal in mind of another World Series title, the problem remains the same: a team that right now seems only capable of winning with elite pitching and has yet to generate a run that hasn’t come via the long ball.
Three runs in five innings against Chris Sale is about the best-case scenario for a team that was shut out the last time it faced the future first-ballot Hall of Famer. And yet, they could have done a lot more damage off the left-hander, with him on the ropes for most of the game before Kiké Hernández’s two-run shot started the scoring in the fourth.
Whatever the offense did or did not do against Sale, it chased him off the game with just 15 outs, a crucial objective in this game. Against four different Braves relievers, though—not including Didier Fuentes, unused in this one after a masterful Game 2 performance—the Dodgers offense failed to add a single run of insurance, increasing the pressure on Yamamoto and their two star relievers, who finished this one out: Tanner Scott and Edwin Díaz, neither of whom has what you’d describe as unconditional trust.
Evidently, strong pitching has been a reality of this series on both sides, with these two offenses combining for a single hit with a runner in scoring position. For the Dodgers, though, it hasn’t looked like it matters who is on the mound for Atlanta—running into one or two is achievable even against the very best; in fact, they did it against Sale and Fuentes, the Braves’ two most talented pitchers. Stringing hits together for a big rally like this team is more than capable of doing and hasn’t been a part of their NLDS performance.
While for the Dodgers offense, it doesn’t appear like it matters who is on the mound; on the opposite side, it’s a different scenario. Tarik Skubal and Yamamoto were dominant, and that’s a big reason why the Dodgers won those two games. Now, can this Dodgers team win if Tyler Glasnow brings anything other than his A+ game, which we’ve seldom seen in the postseason? The bullpen, as we’ve seen, will likely be effective, but not bulletproof. It took very little for Game 2 to go off the rails, and for that scenario not to repeat itself, the offense must find a higher gear.
Perhaps if we’re to take a more positive view, the lack of damage in Game 3 had more than its fair share of bad luck. Teoscar Hernández, for instance, had three hard-hit balls and no hits to show for it—Freddie Freeman nearly had another home run, and Mookie Betts continues to get on at a terrific clip in the leadoff spot, even if he doesn’t have the runs to show for. Moving forward, though, the threat must be capitalized on more often.
3 Mar 1999: Infielder Rey Sanchez #1 of the Kansas City Royals poses for the camera on Photo Day during Spring Training at the Baseball City Stadium in Davenport, Florida. Mandatory Credit: Scott Halleran /Allsport | Getty Images
During their history, the Royals have had several players who were overlooked, especially on a national level. David DeJesus comes to mind, as does Kevin Appier, who was criminally underrated.
Another player whose excellence slipped past us was shortstop Rey Sanchez, who unfortunately toiled for the Royals through some of their bleakest seasons. And for a team that has set the gold standard for bleak seasons, that is saying something.
Sanchez, a native of Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, broke into the majors with a 13-game stint with the Chicago Cubs at the tail end of the 1991 season. He collected his first hit with an eighth-inning single off the Pirates’ Doug Drabek on September 17 at Three Rivers Stadium.
Sanchez spent most of the next six seasons as the Cubs’ starting shortstop, putting up steady but unspectacular numbers. The Cubs sent Sanchez to the Yankees in a 1997 trade deadline deal, and he hit .312 in 38 games for the Yanks and got a taste of the postseason.
He signed a free-agent deal with the Giants in the offseason and enjoyed a solid year in San Francisco, slashing .285/.325/.361 while playing his usual spectacular defense.
The Royals had been employing Shane Halter and Mindy Lopez at short, and in the offseason, Herk Robinson made one of his best free-agent acquisitions by bringing in Sanchez on a one-year deal.
Sanchez had the best year of his career as a Royal in 1999, slashing .294/.329/.370 over 134 games while finishing second in the league in Defensive WAR.
That was enough for the Royals to ink Sanchez to a two-year deal in the offseason, and he was even better in 2000 and 2001, leading the league in Defensive WAR both seasons. He wasn’t too shabby with the bat, either, hitting .273 in 2000 and .303 in 2001.
All told, his Kansas City tenure lasted for 377 games, and he was worth 9.3 WAR while hitting a combined .289. About that defense. Sanchez wasn’t an acrobat like, say, Ozzie Smith, though he did have some spectacular plays. Sanchez was smooth. He got to every ball in his zip code, made a slick pickup and threw sweet, chest-high throws to first each time. He made it look so routine that it was easy to miss the beauty of it.
I saw Sanchez play once, on July 25, 1999 , George Brett Day at the K. It was impossibly hot that day, as late July in Kansas City tends to be, at least according to Ichiro. Carlos Beltran melted early in the game and had to be removed. The Oakland A’s jumped out to a large early lead before the Royals found their footing. Down 11-5 going into the bottom of the sixth, the Royals tacked on three runs to make it interesting.
The Royals came up in the bottom of the ninth trailing by three. Jermaine Dye stroked a leadoff double off A’s closer Billy Taylor. Joe Randa sent the heat-stricken crowd into hysteria with his second home run of the day. Jeremy Giambi punched a single through the left side of the infield. At this point, manager Tony Muser elected to go for the loss. He had catcher Tim Spehr lay down a bunt. Now, you can imagine that Spehr, being a catcher, was not particularly fleet of foot. He wasn’t. He stole nine bases in an eight-year career. Didn’t matter to Muser.
Spehr laid down a beauty and somehow, someway, beat it out. Runners on first and second, down by one, no outs and Rey Sanchez coming to the plate. This is what I wrote about that at-bat several years ago.
Now the crowd was going nuts. Probably heat delirium. Muser, never one to go for the win, had Rey Sanchez bunt the runners over. This is just an insanely stupid move. Nobody out, runners on first and second, the crowd and your team going nuts…and you bunt one of your best hitters into a sure out. Sanchez could handle the bat. The man hit .294 in 1999 over 479 at-bats. Let. Him. Hit.
After the Muser out, the A’s gave Johnny Damon an intentional pass. That brought Carlos Febles to the plate. He did what you would expect, looking at a third strike right down the middle. Bases loaded, two outs, down by one. Scott Pose came to the plate and bailed out Muser with a single to center. Hansen scored to tie it, but pinch-runner Steve Scarsone was thrown out at home in a close play to end the inning. The crowd was still going bananas.
The Royals ended up winning in spite of their manager when Jermaine Dye blasted a two-run homer over the right-field wall in the 10th.
In July 2001, the Royals traded Sanchez to the Braves, where he got into the playoffs. Sanchez bounced around a little after that, spending 2002 in Boston, where he primarily played second base, before splitting 2003 between the New York Mets and the Seattle Mariners. He spent 2004 in Tampa before ending his career with a 23-game stint with the Yankees in 2005.
Overall, it was a pretty darn good career: 15 years. Almost 1,500 games with a career batting average of .272 and almost 21 career WAR. I know people scoff at batting average today, but to me, it still means something, especially when you play defense like Sanchez did. Over his career, Sanchez handled 6,632 chances with only 112 errors. That’s a smooth .983 fielding percentage. Unbelievably, he never won a Gold Glove.
Omar Vizquel won the 2000 and 2001 awards for shortstop. Tough competition in those days.
Despite only playing two and a half seasons in Kansas City, Sanchez’s production places him among the best shortstops, not named Witt, that the Royals have ever employed.
NORTH PORT, FL - MARCH 16: Owen Carey #30 of the Atlanta Braves throws the ball back to the infield during the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Atlanta Braves at CoolToday Park on Sunday, March 16, 2025 in North Port, Florida. (Photo by Scott Audette/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
(1-3) Glendale Desert Dogs 4, (1-2) Mesa Solar Sox 3
Tanner Baumann, RP: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 11.57 ERA
Owen Hackman, RP: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 3.38 ERA
Tyler LaPorte, RP: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 0.00 ERA
Logan Samuels, RP: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 3.00 ERA
It was a busy day for all of the Braves relievers that were sent to Arizona. Braves arms were responsible for 5 2/3 of Glendale’s ten innings with four pitchers making appearances, and the results for the crew were mixed. With a 1-0 lead on the table Tanner Baumann was brought in to try to keep Mesa at bay while insurance runs followed, and the inning got off to a concerning start. Baumann had trouble finding the strike zone with anything and walked the first two hitters he faced, but he wiggled out of it to maintain the lead. He forced two ground balls off of his sinker, one of which turned into a double play, and the fifth inning was a smoother affair. Baumann never really found any of his secondaries, but his sinker was an effective pitch for him and kept him mowing through batters with two strikeouts in the fifth inning. Owen Hackman came in during the 7th inning with a lead that had been extended to three runs, and it took every ounce of effort for him to keep any lead safe. Hackman started off hot with a strikeout, but after running the next count to 1-2 an errant fastball hit the batter and derailed the entire inning. Hackman gave up a solid single, then his own throwing error scored the first run and put the tying run on base. Another base hit on what was honestly not a bad pitch brought home the next run, but Hackman received his first dose of good luck with an assist from his buddy in right field. Owen Carey threw out the runner trying to go first- to-third, giving Hackman his second out and putting him in position to shut the door on the inning with a strikeout of the next hitter.
Tyler LaPorte escaped the eighth inning and held on to Glendale’s one run lead, but it was awfully close to going south for him. His pitch execution wasn’t awful, but the Solar Sox hitters were able to make good swings when they needed to and started the inning with a hit and a walk. LaPorte gave up his hardest contact to the third hitter, but the ball found the second baseman for a force out and saved a run from scoring for the moment. LaPorte’s best at-bat came with his dismantling of the next hitter for an easy strikeout on straight sliders, but he had to get lucky and escape thanks to a hard hit ball finding a glove after leaving a slider over the plate to the next hitter. It goes in the books as a scoreless inning, but LaPorte didn’t make it too easy. We can talk more good news/bad news with Logan Samuels. The good news is his whiff numbers. He diced up hitters with his changeup and totaled ten whiffs on 18 swings in his 1 2/3 innings of work. The bad news was that Mesa managed some hard contact against him. The first was on a sinker that stayed up in the strike zone, a pitch that was the worst Samuels made in the ninth inning and led to a hard-hit double to lead off the inning. The next is one that you would be hard-pressed to blame on him. An infield single, even on a hard hit ball, is rarely the pitcher’s fault, and it’s less so his fault when the batter had to golf a chopper inches off the ground and beat the ball to first base. Samuels made french toast out of everyone else, so even though the game goes on his record as a blown save it was ultimately a well-pitched game that happened to not go his way. Owen Carey made an appearance in this game outside of his defensive work, notching an infield single in the ninth inning. It’s still his defense that was the highlight, though. Carey saw a ton of fastballs in this game but still kept chasing pitch after pitch outside of the strike zone and it led to ugly results. He made a lot of contact but none of it was quality, and pitchers don’t even have to make particularly good pitches to get him to swing right now.
